S&W Model 19 DA Trigger Pull Help!

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Any revolver experts please chime in!

I bought a VERY nice 6" Model 19-6 S&W .357 revolver from a coworker. One owner, low round count, virtually no visible wear, and 100% stock condition.

The weapon function checks normally (I haven't shot it yet) and the single action pull is crisp and clean.

However, the double action pull is very poor. There seems to be some resistance in mid pull as the cylinder rotates with the trgger pull. At some point the trigger overcomes the drag and the cylinder rotates properly and the hammer drops.

I am pretty sure that somethng is causing the cylinder to bind slightly in mid DA pull. Not enough to cause a malfunction, but enough to make the DA pull rather stiff and uneven.

Any advice on what might cause this or what to look for is appreciated!

[shooting4life]

Search "s&w floating hand"

[tozan]

That sounds pretty normal most revolvers do not pull evenly all the way through. A lot of it can be smoothed out with an action job, find a good smith and they should be able to help you out. I have smoothed out hundreds of them when I was doing pistolsmith work.

[Dutch Henry]

Check the cylinder for binding; it could need a good cleaning.
Check the line up of the cylinder to the frame. The cylinder yoke and frame should be flush when the cylinder is closed; there should be no gaps.
The gun should probably be cleaned and lubed. That will go a long way to removing any kinks.

If you're mechanically inclined, get a copy of "THE S&W REVOLVER - A SHOP MANUAL", by Jerry Kuhnhausen. It's one of the best books on the subject I've ever used and you can order it from Brownell's http://www.brownells.com/books-video...prod25717.aspx or Midway has it as well.

[Speedpower]

I used to have a model19 combat magnum and the DA action is one of the smoothest in the industry, the action might have gummed up internally, open it up, clean and lube will smoothen it up.

[Raider888]

Sounds normal to me, it lets you feel the hammer is about to drop.

[dfletcher]

Any revolver experts please chime in!

I bought a VERY nice 6" Model 19-6 S&W .357 revolver from a coworker. One owner, low round count, virtually no visible wear, and 100% stock condition.

The weapon function checks normally (I haven't shot it yet) and the single action pull is crisp and clean.

However, the double action pull is very poor. There seems to be some resistance in mid pull as the cylinder rotates with the trgger pull. At some point the trigger overcomes the drag and the cylinder rotates properly and the hammer drops.

I am pretty sure that somethng is causing the cylinder to bind slightly in mid DA pull. Not enough to cause a malfunction, but enough to make the DA pull rather stiff and uneven.

Any advice on what might cause this or what to look for is appreciated!

A few quick and easy checks

Swing out the cylinder and using the ejector rod give it a slow turn. Does the cylinder spin freely or are there points of sharply increased resistance? Operate the ejector as though clearing empties - smooth and even or points of resistance? Any powder or debris under the ejector star or where it sits on the cylinder?

Is the ejector rod fully screwed in?

With the cylinder still open, give it a strong spin. Watch the tip of the ejector rod - does it spin tightly in place or wander?

Does the ejector rod plunger, located in the front of the ejector rod cut out on the barrel, move freely back & forth?

Check the rear of the ejector, the "ejector star" has teeth and these teeth are what the hand interacts with to turn the cylinder. The hand bears along the bottom side and side of the teeth - it doesn't lock up from behind or directly below. The sides and edges of the teeth should be straight, clean and well defined.

With the cylinder still open, push back the thumb piece of the cylinder release and hold it. This will allow you to work the action. Work it in SA and in DA mode. Again, should be smooth and hitch free - no obvious points of heightened resistance. Operating the action without having it interact with the cylinder, if it operates properly, should allow you to determine the action itself is fine.

Another point to check is whether the cylinder bolt is being disengaged from the cylinder bolt cut prior to the hand turning the cylinder. You can observe this by operating the action with the cylinder open, then check it with the cylinder closed. With the cylinder open, operate the action slowly, keep an eye on the cylinder bolt located on the bottom of the frame. As the action is worked the bolt should drop and then pop back up. Watch closely and you'll see the hand peek out from the right side of the recoil plate. Were the cylinder closed it would start to turn. Close the cylinder and hold the gun up in profile against light so you can see the gap bewteen the cylinder and bottom of the frame's cylinder opening. You should see the shadow of the cylinder bolt in its "up & engaged" position. Operate the action slowly and in SA mode. You'll see that as the hammer is pulled back the bolt drops, the cylinder then starts to turn and the bolt then snaps up & engages the next cut. If the hand turns the cylinder before the bolt clears the cut you'll get a slight hitch as the cylnder bumps the bolt stop. You'll feel this at the beginning of the stroke, it's a pretty distinct point of hisitation.

If all these basic points check out the yoke could be the problem, or there is some interaction of these parts that is causing a problem. My Model 14 had a tight point in the cylinder rotation, it was caused by whoever had it before never cleaning the center of the cylinder or the part of the yoke it turned on - caked with packed solid powder. If your gun hasn't been shot much that shouldn't be the cause, but I suppose it's worth checking too.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Once again, Calguns members are the best. I will troubleshoot this as soon as I get home and report back.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Good grief what kind of screwdriver does one need to remove the sideplate? The flathead slot is tiny and eyeglass screwdrivers aren't strong enough to budge it. The last thing I want to do is mar the nice finish on this revolver!

[eaglemike]

I've seen many S&W with hand drag. After the hand comes out of the frame and rotates the cylinder, it should slide (pretty freely) past the teeth on the ejector used to rotate the cylinder. Not something to be fixed by a neophyte, but not hard to fix. A good clean and balanced set of decent springs should make your gun a very sweet shooter if all else is good.

[snubbyfan]

Don't pry the side plate off. Instead rap the side of the grip frame with a plastic screwdriver handle and it'll loosen. Sounds like it could just need a good detail cleaning. If you're unsure of how to disassemble a S&W revolver you might consider taking it to a gunsmith.

[9mmepiphany]

Good grief what kind of screwdriver does one need to remove the sideplate? The flathead slot is tiny and eyeglass screwdrivers aren't strong enough to budge it. The last thing I want to do is mar the nice finish on this revolver!

Revolversmiths I have known all used Sears screwdrivers that they have ground down to fit

[cindynles]

Good grief what kind of screwdriver does one need to remove the sideplate? The flathead slot is tiny and eyeglass screwdrivers aren't strong enough to budge it. The last thing I want to do is mar the nice finish on this revolver!

Brownells is your friend if you plan to remove the sideplate and completly disassemble your revolver.

Smith and Wesson specific screwdriver set:

http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/general-gunsmith-tools/screwdrivers-sets/magna-tip-sets/s-w-screwdriver-prod413.aspx

Rebound slide tool (a must have if you don't want to slice up your finger/hand):

http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/handgun-tools/slide-tools/s-w-rebound-slide-spring-tool-prod774.aspx